Journal lubricator structure



Nov. 8, 1949 J. J. HENNESSY 2,437,133

JOURNAL LUBRICATOR STRUCTURE I Filed Oct. 25, 1944 I i f r: k 25", F 27 I m?- f ,afiijfi}: 2 I25; I i 26 I 3 za s: /5

FIG. 2.

INVENTOR. JAMES J. HENNESSY ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 8, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOURNAL LUBRICATQR STRUCTURE James J Hennessy, Montclair, N. J.

Application October 25, 1944, Serial-No. 560,238

, 7 Claims. 1

The invention relates to the lubrication of railway axle journals and more particularly to lubricators utilizing a pump to feed lubricant to the journal. Such lubricators usually include a lubricant distributor supported on the pump and yieldingly thrust against the journal, and the lubricator may include one or more devices yieldingly thrust against the journal for wiping surplus lubricant therefrom and returning it to a sump or reservoir. A device of this general type is illustrated in Patent No. 2,191,468, issued to the present applicant February 27, 1940.

When locomotive driving wheels are operated at high speeds, and particularly when the weight of the connecting rod pins and their loads are not accurately counterbalanced and cross balanced, there is a tendency for a wheel to leave the rail, elevating its driving box, and for the wheel to return to the rail so rapidly that there is a lag in the return movement of the box which results in a pounding between the journal and the bearing to the detriment of the latter. At the same time, the parts of the lubricator normally in contact with the lower surface of the journal are pounded and subject to breakage or other damage.

The main object of the present invention is to prevent damage resulting from the above-described action, and this object is attained by providing the lubricator with structure which will prevent substantial relative movement of the journal, its bearing, and the lubricator away from each other, particularly under the conditions mentioned above.

The lubricators referred to and the boxes to which they are applied are likely to be supplied from different sources and this fact, together with the conditions under which the lubricators are applied, may result in the lubricator not being centered relative to the box and the journal which may cause injury to the journal and will afiect the operation of the lubricator and reduce its efiective life, and it is a further object of the present invention to provide for the centering of the lubricator relative to the box and the journal.

These and other detail objects of the invention as will appear from the following description are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through the longitudinal center of a lubricator embodying the invention with portions of the driving wheel and its axle journal and the structure supporting the lubricator.

Figure 2 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and showing 2 the journal bearing and the sides and top of the box.

Figure 3 is a bottom view of a detail of the spacer structure.

The driving wheel indicated at l is mounted upon the end of the axle 2 in the usual manner, the axle including a journal 3 which mounts the usual bearing 4 seated in the top wall 5 and side walls 6 of a driving box. Lugs l and 8 depend from wall 6 and sleeves 9 and I0 are supported from lugs 1 and 8 by bolts I I and I2. Bottom plate l3 rests on sleeves 9 and I0 and carries the lubricator structure which includes a cellar l 4, a reservoir 5, a pump [6, and a distributor H. The distributor includes a pan-like member l8 provided with suitable fibrous packing material, such as strips of felt l9, and a central telescoping conduit 20 yieldingly supported from pump l6 by a spring 2|.

Near the outer end of the journal, springs 22 support a pair of arcuate wipers 23 having narrow upstanding ribs 24 contacting the journal and serving to scrape surplus lubricant from the adjacent end of the journal and return it to the lubricant cellar. Wipers 23 overlie the forward wall 25 of the cellar but normally clear the upper edge of the latter. Near the rear of the journal,

the cellar is provided with a splash plate 26 disposed horizontally beneath the journal and above the normal level of lubricant in the cellar and reservoir. A wiper 38 (Figure 2) has a depending boss receivable in plate 26 and the wiper is thrust against the lowermost portion of the journal by spring 39 and prevents the flow of surplus lubricant rearwardly out of the cellar onto the axle body. Wiper 38 is omitted from Figure 1 to better illustrate other features described below.

The above-described structure corresponds to that illustrated in the above-mentioned Patent 2,191,468. It will be obvious that such structure does not prevent the journal and its bearing from moving from and towards each other under the conditions described in the introductory portion of this specification. While springs 2 I, 22 and- 39 yieldingly thrust the spring-supported parts against the journal, they are not stiff enough to offer substantial resistance to the movement of the journal and bearing away from each other when subject to forces resulting from the high speed rotation of unbalanced masses such as are present in locomotive driving wheels. Springs of sufilcient capacity to resist such relative movement of the journal and members associated therewith would be impractical because of the space limitations and because of the Wear which would result from the contact between the journal and the distributor and wiper elements.

To prevent undesirable relative movement between the journal, bearing and distributor, spacer members 21 are provided at opposite sides of wiper 38. These spacers are supported by elements 28 comprising upright rods or pins with their lower ends seated upon the bottom Wall of cellar I4 and with their zupper ends projecting ithrough splash plate *26. iI'hese members are-shouldered at 29 to form extensions 30 of reduced diameter. Spacers 2'! are recessed at 3| to receive extensions 30 and rest upon shoulders r2,9. ,Breierably the extension 30 of each element 28 andthe adjacent portion of the spacer are .drilledat flto receive a removable cotter 3,3 .wherebythespacer is detachably secured and maybe readily separated from the lubricator for replacement. (Elements 28 are welded to the bottom and inner and Wal o ce lar M and .to h a splash plate 1:6, as indicated at W.

Each :spacer .2 corn-prises :a .wide, -flat, arcuate upper surface 34 and the radius 1of surface 34, the depth of member .24! ,and the length of elements ,28 .will be .such that surface .34 .normally is ,spaced slightly ,from ,the journal, as best indicated .in F ure .2. However, the ,bearingan journal move away irom .each other, members 21 romptly contact the journal and limit such movement .59 that .no damage .will result from pounding of ,the distributor and .wiper ,parts or to the bearing when the journal and bearing again movetowardsieach other. The lowerportion of each rnember 2,1,consists of hollow legs 35 connected ,by a ,Wfib .36. {Ihese parts .27 and 28 are 'll fid .enough to resist relative mov entor the b rin an Jo n -an by k pin the clearance between the journal and member 2. o app i ately .on es xteenthof an,inc,h,.- hammer blow v de ElQDS .l l der ,the conditions ,described n t intro u or portion 0f th specification ,and pounding of the hearin .or application of undue pressure to the lubricator ,parts is eliminated. iMembers 2,1,are preferably .made of bronze or brass and various sizes (are carried in stock to accommodate different journal diameters and they may be selectively assembled ,with lubricators at the time .of application and with.- out requiring a corresponding assortment .01 inbricators :to meet every axlejournal .diameter.

*I-t will be understood that the spacers 2.1 may be applied ito lubricators previously in use without any change in thelubricator except the drilling .of holes for the pin extensions 3.0. .Such

.holes, whether in old equipment or new equipment, may be accurately spaced transversely of the cellar and will determine the positioning .of members 2-! transversely of the cellar. LI'he close fit of the upper surfaces 34 of ,members v2.! and the journal will insure "the 'lubricatorbeing centered so that the upright transverse partition plate 31 array not move into contact with and score the journal surface. The centering of the distributor relative to the journal will result in even wear of the upper end of 'conduitjjl and .of the other-lubricant distributing elements 19, thus increasing the efiiciency and useful life .of the device.

will be understood that the details of the structure may be varied without departingfrorn the spirit of the invention, and the exclusive .use of such modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is olaimed'is:

'1. In :a railway axle journal lubricator, a lubricant cellar, a lubricant pump therein, a distributor above the pump and arranged to receive lubricant from the pump and to apply it to the journal with which the lubricator is assembled, and substantially rigid structure at one end of said distributor resting upon the bottom of the cellar and extending upwardly therefrom and having a face adapted to extend substantially semi-circumferentially'ofthe iournalsand to oppose the journal, while normallyiclearing the same, and.

at one end oftthe distributor and supported onthe cellar bottom wall over one-of-said'members and having a relatively-wide, arcuate, upwardly facing ,part opposing the journal, "but normally slightly spaced therefrom, *to *limit movement of thefjournal' towards the cellar.

3. In a railway axle journalbearing, andbox assembly, a lubricant cellar; spaced members supportedfrom the "box .and supporting the cellar, a lubricant pump 'in'the cellar, alubricant distributor associated with thepump, means supported on the pump and yieldingly thrusting the distributor against the journal, a wiper device near one'end oi-the 'cellar and distributor at the end of the journal "for removing surplus lubricant from the journal andreturning it to'the cellar, means yieldingly-thrusting said device against the journal, and ,arigid spacing structure supported on the cellar bottomwall near the other end of said cellar and distributor and having an upwardly facing part with an elongated face opposing "the journal but normally slightly spaced therefrom and limiting movement of the journal and bearing away from each other as said journal rotates in said bearing.

4. In a railway journal lubricator, a lubricant cellar having a bottom 'wall, and structure .for spacingthe cellar fromaj ournal with which it is assembled comprising upright struts secured at their lower ends tosaid wall and having upwardly facing shouldersspaced above said .wall, ahorizontally disposed splash plate resting on said shoulders, and an elongated contact piece mounted on said shoulders and extending transversely of "the journal .and shoulders with its lower face receivingthe'reduced ends of at least someof. said struts and with-itsupper face contoured and positioned ,tooppose the lower portion of the journal with which the cellar is to be assembled.

5. In a railway journal lubricator, a lubricant cellar having a bottom wall, and structure .for spacing the cellar from a journal with which it is assembled comprising upright struts secured .at theirlower ends'tosaid wall and having upwardly facing shoulders spaced above said wall, .a horizontally disposed elongated splash plate resting .on said shoulders and extending from side to side .of the'cellar, and a' pair of elongated spacers above said ,splash plate .and in alignment with each other alongthe same, each spacerhavingits lower face receiving the reduced ends of at leastone .of said struts and having its upper ,face contoured and positioned'to Oppose the lower portion .of the journal with which the cellar is to be assembled.

6. In a railway axle journal box having a journal bearing and a lubricant cellar mounted in fixed relation to each other, there being a journal mounted rotatively in said bearing, and a structure having an elongated journal engaging face extending transversely of the journal and in fixed relation to said cellar and said bearing and positioned opposite only a relatively small length of said bearing and adjacent said journal but spaced slightly therefrom to prevent said journal while rotating in said bearing from moving appreciably laterally away from said bearing, whereby said journal is prevented from delivering hammer blows to said bearing.

7. In a railway axle journal, bearing, box and lubricator assembly, a lubricant pump, and distributor structure including parts yieldingly thrust against the journal to facilitate the supply and control of lubricant to the journal, and means at one end of said distributor cooperating with the bearing and cellar to limit movement of the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,685,212 Blunt Sept. 25, 1928 1,920,772 Vincent Aug. 1, 1933 2,107,413 Hennessy Feb. 8, 1938 2,191,468 Hennessy Feb. 2'7, 1940 

